Florianópolis – The Arab ambassadors visiting the state of Santa Catarina have met this Tuesday (29th) with 24 executives from local companies who are interested in doing business with Arab countries. The meeting was held by the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brazil and the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, and attended by delegates from tourism, wood and furniture, and food companies, trading companies and others.
The export manager for gymnastics equipment manufacturing company Athletic, Daniel Piazera took advantage of the visit to meet with diplomats from some of the countries to which he hopes to export. “Our company has become an Arab Brazilian Chamber member because it plans on exporting to countries in the region, which boast an exercise-conscious population, large numbers of foreigners and lots of hotels, not to mention that they possess high purchasing power. Meeting with the ambassadors here is great, because we can’t always travel in order to speak to each of them separately,” he said.
The company already exports to Latin America and plans on having more international partners. Approximately 12% of Athletic’s revenues originate from exports. Piazera convened with diplomats from Egypt, Oman and Jordan. United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Algeria are also potential targets.
The trader for vacuum-packed food manufacturer Vapza, Eloelene Monzani, said the company is preparing to start selling to the Arab countries, and seized the occasion of the meeting with the ambassadors to determine which amongst them could be the first targets. The company is based in Curitiba, in the state of Paraná.
“We have already succeeded in obtaining halal certification (in accordance with Islamic rules) and now we are adapting our packaging. Our products can be shipped in non-refrigerated containers and still conserve their properties,” he said. Vapza sells vegetables, poultry and beef, among other items.
The ambassadors said the meeting may be conducive to future business. “It has been a very productive meeting, since we had the chance to come into contact with different industries from the state, such as agribusiness, furniture, and processed woods. We were able to meet the directors of these enterprises and to foster closer ties between our countries and the businessmen,” said the Sudanese ambassador Abd Elkarim.
The Mauritanian chargé d’affaires Ahmed Ethmane also noted that the meeting was productive. “It has been great and we must do this every time we pay visits to different Brazilian states. At these meetings, the conversation is more effective. In the particular case of my country, it may lead to deals in poultry. I also spoke with delegates from the wood and ceramics industries,” he said.
The Arab Brazilian Chamber CEO, Michel Alaby, stated that the meeting of ambassadors and businessmen was “a new feature” of the diplomats’ visits to different states. “These were successful meetings that will be followed up with, so that the doors remain open with these companies,” he said.
Visits
This Thursday, the ambassadors also paid a visit to the sustainable neighbourhood Pedra Branca, which is under construction in the city of Palhoça, in the greater metropolitan area of Florianópolis. Construction began in 2000. Presently, the area houses 5,000 inhabitants, 5,000 construction workers and 10,000 students from university Unisul.
Pedra Branca’s product development consultant, Dilnei Bittencourt, who welcomed the ambassadors, said the development is due for completion in 2025; by then, it is expected to house 30,000 inhabitants, 30,000 employees and 12,000 university campus students. In the neighbourhood, pedestrian space is prioritized as opposed to cars, and natural resources are conserved.
The ambassadors also paid a visit to the studios of RBS, a TV channel affiliated with Brazil’s Rede Globo network, in Florianópolis. They met with Journalism director Eurico Meira da Costa and with production coordinator Edmilson Ortiz.
Alaby and the dean of the Council of Arab Ambassadors and Palestinian representative in Brazil, Ibrahim Alzeben, also went to the Santa Catarina Trade and Industry Association (ACIF, in the Portuguese acronym) headquarters and met with chairman Sander DeMira and other board members. At the end of the visit, the Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese community in Florianópolis offered a dinner in honour of the ambassadors.
Alzeben believes the visit to Santa Catarina, which started last Monday (28th), will yield results soon. “The meetings with the board of the Federation of Industries of the State of Santa Catarina (Fiesc) last Monday, with the businessmen, and with the ACIF will have concrete results shortly. This trip to Santa Catarina has been very productive for the Arab countries,” he asserted.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
